


Suit Yourself

by thatpunnyperson



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Brief talk about Apocrypha and Miraak, Brief talk about the Dark Brotherhood, Brief talk about the civil war, F/M, and some swearing, cameo by Jurgen Windcaller, definitely some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-22 01:50:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2490080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatpunnyperson/pseuds/thatpunnyperson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When young dovakiin Lillian Lemieux has to travel to Sovngarde to kill Alduin, the World-Eater, her best friend and companion, Teldryn Sero, has a little trouble living without her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on here. Enjoy it in all of its mediocrity.

Skuldafn. Lillian was going to kill Alduin once and for all.

The plan was for the dragon known as Odaviing to fly her to Skuldafn where she would travel through a portal to Sovngarde and kill Alduin there. That way his soul couldn't return--hopefully. The plan relied more on faith than on fact.

Lillian turned to say her goodbyes and looked at Teldryn. 

Teldryn Sero was…her follower, her companion, her best friend. The two had first met when she was passing thought Raven Rock on her way to the Temple of Miraak. His sassy retorts and steep price as a spellsword were what first intrigued her. Once she had travelled to Apocrypha and killed Miraak, Lillian returned to the Retching Netch and hired Teldryn on the spot. 

The two had been traveling throughout both Skyrim and Solstheim ever since and not a day went by when Lillian didn't consciously think, "Wow, Teldryn was a great investment."

But, of course, he became more than a simple investment. He was the best damn follower Lillian had ever had. He could fight with weapons and magic and wasn't afraid to fight anyone, so long as he was sure he would survive the encounter. They made a great team and, after some time, Lillian gave him a new set of armor to replace his worn chitin set. She have him ancient shrouded armor from the Dark Brotherhood, laden with enchantments to ensure that he wouldn't be able to die. And he sort of wore it--he wore everything except the cowl. 

When Lillian first saw him after he changed his armor, she face-palmed. He had black and red, form-fitting armor and a ridiculously bulky, pink, chitin helmet. It made him look like he had a giant head. 

"What?" he had said, dramatically taken aback. 

"You look ridiculous," Lillian had replied, gesturing to his helmet. "Won't you take that off? It doesn't even go with the rest of the armor."

"I could just put my chitin armor back on," he had retorted sassily and Lillian had sighed. He was so independent--no wonder he hadn't been hired in a decade. 

So, the clothing was an issue, but at least he was adequately protected. Whenever they went on a quest, Lillian would judge if it would be too dangerous for Teldryn and, if it was--and it rarely was--she would tell him to wait.

"You're going ahead without me?!" Teldryn had asked the first time, hurt plain in his voice at the prospect of being left behind.

"It's much too dangerous for you in here and I can do it myself. I'll be fine," Lillian had replied. Usually, her followers were quite eager to wait OUTSIDE the dangerous looking places. 

"Suit yourself," Teldryn had replied, shrugging like he thought she was being an idiot for not wanting backup. Sometimes she folded and let him come with her, which inevitably proved to be a good decision. He would watch her back as she watched his and together, they would clear the area of enemies with lightning speed.

Since Lillian was a member of some…interesting…groups across Skyrim, Teldryn and her went on some fairly strange quests to retrieve items or kill specific people. 

One time, she had been told to kill the Emperor of Tamriel, Titus Mede II. She had told Teldryn "Hey, I need you to wait at my house in Whiterun until I get back. Lydia's there so you don't have to worry about finding food-- she can show you where the pantry is."

"You're going ahead without me?" he had asked. The phrase had become somewhat of a joke between them. "Where are you even going?"

"I have to kill the Emperor," Lillian had replied honestly. They had reached a point in their relationship MONTHS AGO where they could tell each other anything and neither person would bat an eyelash. 

Lillian had expected Teldryn to cheekily say, "Fine. Suit yourself," but was surprised by his actual answer.

"If you're going to be fighting the Penitus Oculatus, you're going to be getting my help, whether you like it or not."

Lillian had been stunned into silence and Teldryn had stood there, hands on his hips, waiting for her to respond. She just KNEW he was raising an eyebrow under his helmet. 

"Uhm," she had stuttered. "But…why?" 

Teldryn had sighed and folded his arms across his chest, replying with, "I've never like the Empire. When I lived in the Gray Quarter of Windlhelm, I met many Dunmer, similar to myself, who were more than happy to tell me all about their oppression under the thumb of the Nords. And, after a while, I realized that the only reason that the Nords were acting so badly towards us dark elves was because they themselves were bitter about the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. Because the empire had restricted THEIR rights, they were in turn restricting OUR rights. So, I blamed the Empire for my mistreatment.

"If you're going to be killing the head of the Empire, I'm going to be there with you to watch the life leave his body in what I know will be some horrible gruesome way."  
Lillian had nodded and acquiesced, allowing him to tag along onto the Emperor's ship, the Katariah, and let him deal the final blow to the Emperor. 

In short, Teldryn Sero was literally the ideal follower and Lillian wouldn't trade him for the world. She hated when she had to leave him behind, or when she wasn't able to bring him with her and he was forced to wait outside for her, so she began steering clear of jobs where they had to split up. Teldryn obviously liked her company, too.   
The two of them had once been exploring an old Nordic ruin when she had turned a corner and accidentally lost Teldryn. In panic, Lillian had turned back and retraced her steps until she returned to a big room with a table and chairs in it. 

Teldryn was seated in one of the chairs, absentmindedly rolling an empty tankard between his hands and staring off into space. When he had seen Lillian enter the room, he had leapt up from the table, tankard forgotten, and had crossed the room in long strides, enveloping her in a hug so tight she thought he might actually crack her stahlrim armor. 

"Don't get so far ahead," Teldryn had mumbled into her hair as he tightened his arms. "I was worried when I lost sight of you, but I figured that you could take care of yourself. And I knew that you'd want me out of danger so I stayed here, knowing that you'd have to come back this way eventually."

"And what if I hadn't?" Lillian had asked cautiously, knowing she shouldn't poke his emotions when he was in such a fragile state. 

"I knew you would," Teldryn had all but whispered, almost like he himself didn't quite believe it. "I knew that you would return." Letting go and stepping back, Teldryn had put his hands on his hips and said sternly, "If there's one thing you've shown me time and again, it's that you can handle yourself in a fight better than anyone. Myself included." 

Lillian had rolled her eyes and the two of them had proceeded through the ruin.

Since then, they had always tried to remain within sight of each other whenever exploring. The sheer number of places the two of them had been would have exceeded that of the greatest adventurer, but they had always returned to Whiterun every couple days or so to essentially recharge. 

The two of them would stumble tiredly into Breezehome and collapse into the chairs by the fireplace, exhausted from whatever quest they had done. No matter how tired they were, Teldryn still kept that blasted chitin helmet on, and Lillian almost tried to steal it off his head. Almost.

But she never did because Teldryn had a wonderful enigmatic air about him whenever they talked with the locals in towns they passed through. No one knew what he looked like and he wielded that power like the weapon it was.

Lillian had always had attractive followers--Onmund, Lydia, Argis, Marcurio, and people like that. She had enjoyed having them as followers because people were more inclined to talk to a pretty face than a bloodstained sword.

Hiring Teldryn had been a gamble since Lillian hadn't known what he looked like. She would have to rely on people being cooperative for the sake of being cooperative, and hope that she wouldn't have to break out the weapons to get what she wanted. Luckily, people had always laughed at Teldryn's sarcastic comments and had always cowered in fear at his ferocious sword strikes, so Lillian was happy to have such a great companion to make life easier. 

But, after going through Alftand and Blackreach, she was beginning to have doubts about Teldryn. He was a great fighter with a hilariously sarcastic sense of humor, but he wasn't a huge fan of politics. The fact that she had to get an elder scroll in the first place was irksome to him and he kept letting himself get distracted by the simplest of things, like the giant glowing mushrooms in Blackreach. Lillian had had to convince him three times to follow her into the Tower of Mzark and even then, he walked slowly and didn't want to leave. 

When Lillian had decided to pick side in the civil war, she almost told Teldryn to go back to Solstheim. 

The civil war in Skyrim was between the Nords, called the Stormcloaks because they followed a man named Ulfric Stormcloak, and the Imperials, called the Imperials because of their allegiance to the Empire.

Two groups that Teldryn hated. 

Lillian had made it all the way to Castle Dour in Solitude before she asked Teldryn how he felt.

"I don't care which side you pick," he had told her, arms crossed in distaste. "I hate both of them so it really doesn't matter to me."

Lillian had cautiously fought on the side of the Imperials, staying true to her Breton heritage of being half High Elf and half Imperial, and Teldryn faithfully fought along side her. She had slipped through the doors of the Palace of the Kings in Windlhelm, intent on killing Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the rebellion, and had looked back at the door, waiting for Teldryn to come through. 

After a few minutes, he still hadn't come in and Lillian was beginning to worry. What if he'd gotten killed? What if he'd gotten stuck somewhere? What if burning rubble had fallen on him and he was currently being burned alive? 

Then, three knocks sounded at the door and a voice called, "If you need help in there, just open the door!" 

Lillian had run to the door and tugged at the handle but it was locked and bolted shut.

"We barricaded it so Ulfric couldn't escape," Legate Rikke had said. 

Lillian knocked three times on her side of the door and called back, "I'll be out in a moment! Just hang tight!"

After she had killed Ulfric, she ran to the door and waited impatiently for the locks to be undone before throwing the door open. She leapt outside and looked around, seeing Teldryn sitting against the wall a few feet away, gazing at the reflection of the flames on his sword. 

"Teldryn!" Lillian had called, walking quickly over to him and offering a hand. He took it and pulled himself up, asking lazily, "So, how did Ulfric find your surprise visit?"  
Lillian had shrugged and said, "Eh, he kinda lost his head," and gestured to the blood on her sword. After the time they'd been together, Lillian had known Teldryn was smiling at her joke, even with the helmet covering his face.

Months had passed since they had first met in the Retching Netch. Months where they had learned to fight together not as an employer and her employee, but as two friends. She may have paid a ridiculous amount of money in the hopes that the sassy Dark Elf with worn chitin armor would be a good follower, but she had also gained a friend and companions for the past MONTHS and hopefully the future years.

That's is, if she survived killing Alduin.

Now, after all this time, they stood on the Dragonsreach great porch. 

Jarl Balgruf the greater, his housecarl Irileth, the court mage Farengar, and a dozen Whiterun guards waited for Lillian to vanquish Alduin, the World-Eater.   
Odaviing, a giant red dragon sat poised and ready to fly Lillian to Skuldafn. 

And Odaviing would only carry her. 

Lillian stepped up to Teldryn, looking down at her boots, really not wanting to have to say this.

"Teldryn," she began, already sniffling. "I need you to wait here." She looked up at his face, still and always hidden behind that chitin helmet.  
"You're going ahead without me?" Teldryn said with a weak laugh. They both knew where this was going. 

"Yeah, I'm going ahead without you," Lillian said, laughing once and smiling, trying her hardest not to cry. "I need you to wait here. If I'm not back in three days," Lillian struggled to keep her composure, "I need you to go to Breezehome and tell Lydia that I said you could have any of my possessions." Lillian choked back a sob as she finished with, "And tell her to tell the other housecarls that I'll meet them again in Sovengard." 

She broke down when Teldryn sniffled as well and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her arms came up around him and she squeezed him as tightly as possible, never wanting to let go and never wanting to admit that she might never see him or anyone else ever again. 

"Lillian Lemieux," Teldryn speaking her name for the first time in a broken voice. He stepped back and held her face in his hands. "You will return. I know you will." He wiped away her tears with gloved fingers and dropped his hands, stepping back. 

"Go kill the World-Eater," he said and folded himself onto the ground, sitting cross-legged and facing the balcony.

Lillian hurried over to Odaviing and climbed onto his neck, not making eye contact with anyone else. "Let's fly," she said and they took off, soaring through the sky towards Skuldafn.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight was uneventful, except for a giant scaly creature trying to talk to her.

"Dovakiin?" Odaviing asked. "Why do you weep? You have no reason to feel such sadness in the face of your eminent victory."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me," Lillian said, sniffling. "I just can't help but think of what will happen if I fail."

They were flying over the Throat of the World now and Lillian could see the soft blankets of snow and the rippling of the time wound.

"If you fail--and you will not fail--you will simply be in Sovengard," Odaviing said.

"I don't think I follow," Lillian said, confused."

"If you fall while fighting in the ruins of Skuldafn, you will go ascend to Sovengard," Odaviing explained. "If you fall in Sovengard, your body will perish but your spirit will remain. If your spirit gets consumed, Alduin will not be able to hold all of your power and he will surely perish. Regardless of the outcome, the World Eater will not survive this day."

"That's…actually strangely comforting," Lillian said. "But what of my friends and family in Tamriel? What of the people who rely on me to be a constant fixture in their lives?"

Odaviing was quiet for a moment, thinking as they began flying over Eastmarch. 

"If you fall in battle this day, your loved ones will mourn you," Odaviing said. "But they will move on, because they believe that you would want them to. But, after many years, they, too, will ascend and you shall meet once more. Any friend of the Dovakiin is a hero for they are what makes the Dovakiin a hero."

Lillian mulled this over as they continued flying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The point of view will change depending on the chapter, but I'll always state who's POV the chapter is from here. For instance, this chapter is from Teldryn's point of view.

With a gust of wind, she was gone.

Teldryn must have sat there on the ground for hours, waiting. What he was waiting for, he didn't even know. Lillian's return? Odaviing's return? Odaviing's return with Lillian's body? Hopefully, the first thing would happen and not the other two. Not that Teldryn had a problem with dragons, per se. He just didn't want to have to fight anything without Lillian, let alone a dragon.

Teldryn was jerked out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. 

"Son, it's a day's journey on foot to Windlhelm alone," a gruff voice spoke. "Flying would still have to take at least half a day."

Teldryn looked up and met the eyes of Jarl Balgruf the Greater, jarl of Whiterun. 

"Come on inside," Balgruf said, offering a hand. "Any friend of Lillian's is a friend of mine. You're welcome to any of the beds in Dragonsreach."

"Thank you, my jarl," Teldryn said as he took the offered hand and pulled himself up, "but Lillian has a house and I'd feel a bit more comfortable there. Plus, if she does come back, I want to be here to meet her."

"Whatever you think is best," Balgruf said with a smile and went back inside.

Teldryn gazed back towards the balcony, the fading colors of an ending day turning the sky darker with each minute and muting both sound and sight to the coming of night. He eased himself back onto the ground and thought about how Lillian was faring in Skuldafn. 

He had no doubts that she was having the time of her life killing drauger.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of these chapters are really short, but there's only so much I can say.
> 
> And this is back in Lillian's POV.

"ODAVIING! YOU LAZY COWARD! GET BACK HERE!" Lillian shouted at the sky as she blocked the swing of ANOTHER drauger deathlord. She had probably conjured her dremora six times already and she had only fought two dragons, four deathlords, two drauger scourges, and a drauger wight. 

This was her least favorite part about being a vampire--her health, stamina, and magicka didn't regenerate when she was in sunlight. So, when a deathlord managed to land a blow, she couldn't regain enough strength to protect herself from the next blow and she was getting weaker fast. 

That's why she had conjured her dremora so many times. With it as a distraction, she could hobble off it the shade and heal her wounds as fast as possible. 

Lillian was really starting to miss Teldryn. Usually, the two of them would fight multiple people at once and thus be able to take out large groups. By fighting many people, Lillian could slash at one person and then go for a second person because she could rely on Teldryn slashing at that first person after her. 

Lillian's dremora picked ONE target and fixated on it until it was dead. Therefore, Lillian had to take on EVERYONE ELSE at once. 

It was a nightmare. 

Stumbling into a ruined building on the south side of Skuldafn, Lillian caught her breath and began healing herself. 

There's no way in surviving this, she thought in panic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from Teldryn's POV

"I just can't remember what it was like before she hired me," Teldryn said as he downed another pint of some kind of alcohol. He had been sitting on the Dragonsreach porch, staring out at the sky, when a man had walked up to him and somehow managed to get him to have a drink in The Bannered Mare. He'd said his name was Sam and that he knew Lillian, but Teldryn hadn't pressed for more information--a decision he was regretting as he was handed his fourth pint. "I mean, I remember my last patron and how that ended, but it's foggy in my mind and hazy. It doesn't even matter anymore."

"I know, man," Sam said, setting his own tankard down on the bar and leaning back against it the wood. "Lillian sure was something."

"Is," Teldryn corrected angrily. "She's still alive. I know she is…" Teldryn groaned and folded his arms on the bar, dropping his head onto them. They were the only two people left--even Hulda, the owner, had long since retired to her chambers, trusting the two of them not to trash the place.

"What happened to me…" Teldryn asked to the universe. "I used to be apathetic. I used to only care about the money and when my patrons would die. Now, I just…I just…I don't even know."

He heard Sam sigh next to him and felt a hand pat his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Well, I do know," Sam said. "You miss her."

Teldryn looked up and gave Sam an incredulous look even though he knew Sam couldn't see his face. He had kept the helmet on. At first, he had kept it on because he felt like it was his connection to his heritage and one of his last mementos of his home. Then, he'd kept it on to piss of Lillian. She kept trying to convince him to take it off and he would always laugh and tell her no. 

Then…then, she had stopped trying. One day, she didn't harp on him for always wearing his bulky, pink chitin helmet. She still looked at him with fondness, though, just, now, the fondness didn't turn into annoyance. He thinks she was just happy that he was protected from danger. 

Now, with her…away (Teldryn refused to think of her as "gone"), he could take his helmet off and not have any consequences. But…he found he couldn't. He didn't want to take off his helmet and not have Lillian next to him to be surprised that he "actually had a face" or something. 

So, now, as he looked at this Sam character, dressed in black robes with a serene expression on his face, Teldryn was confused. 

"How could you possibly think that I miss her?" Teldryn asked sassily, taking a large drink from his tankard. "You hardly even know me."

"True," Sam said, raising an eyebrow, "but I have listened to you bitch about her being gone for the past two hours while you've drained more than four pints of my special brew of mead."

Teldryn looked down into his mug and then back at Sam. 

"Your special brew of mead?" Teldryn asked cautiously. 

"Yep," Sam said popping the last consonant. "It's three times as strong as regular mead. I have to say, though, you've done remarkably well. Our darling Lillian could only drink three before blacking out. And she had even started slurring her speech after the second one. You, however, still have the capacity to sass me after four drinks and I must say that I'm impressed."

Teldryn was confused. He downed the last of his (apparently) fifth pint (when did that happen?) and set his empty tankard on the bar, turning to face Sam.   
"Who exactly are you, then?" Teldryn asked. "No normal person, even a friend of Lillian's, would try to get her fragile follower slammed."

"Alright, you got me," Sam said. "I'm not really Sam Guinevere. Well, actually, I am, but that's only when I'm human. You see," Sam was suddenly engulfed in a ball of swirling purple and blue light for a second, "I'm actually a Daedric prince." 

And, sure enough, standing before Teldryn was a tall man with blood red skin and horns protruding from his head. He had spiny red and black armor and intricate, black war pain across his face. Teldryn watched as the daedra leaned its hip against the bar next to him, folding its arms across its chest. 

"I am Sanguine, Daedric prince of debauchery, drunkenness, and things of the like," the daedra, Sanguine, said. Teldryn spared a moment to think about how this is not the strangest thing he's ever encountered, nor is Sanguine the first Daedric royalty he's met.

"I felt like you needed a drink, so I came down here to Tamriel to lift your spirits with spirits of my own," Sanguine explained with a chuckle before his face turned somber and he looked at Teldryn seriously. "I love Lillian dearly, Teldryn Sero. She is my champion and she wields my rose like the fearsome warrior you know her to be. I've been keeping an eye on her as she fights and I can tell you that she's still alive."

Teldryn released the breath he had apparently been holding and relaxed a little on the barstool. He was still confused, but he felt infinitely better knowing that Lillian was still alive. 

"See? You TOTALLY missed her, you sap," Sanguine said cheekily and poked Teldryn's shoulder. "Now that you've FINALLY relaxed, how about we go to this place I know where the wine flows like water!"

"No," Teldryn said. Sanguine seemed taken aback by Teldryn's firm response and furrowed his eyebrows. Teldryn stood and stepped back from the bar, looking towards the door. "I need to stay here in Whiterun for when Lillian comes back."

"IF she comes back…" Teldryn hears Sanguine mutter, and before he realized what he's doing, his fist collided with Sanguine's jaw. 

"Did I fucking stutter?" Teldryn demanded, seething as he shoved Sanguine back so hard, the daedra's back hit the wood of the bar and cracked it. Sanguine looked at him, amused. 

"Kid, there's a reason I get into drinking games instead of bar fights," Sanguine said, smirking.

"Why?" Teldryn goaded, knowing he shouldn't but not really caring. "Because you know you'll lose?"

Sanguine leveled Teldryn a look and stalked forward until they were less than a foot apart. Teldryn stared the prince down and saw that his eyes held nothing but the abyss of Oblivion.

"Because WHEN the other person loses, their soul becomes mine for eternity," Sanguine says in a low voice, threat plain in his tone. "Is that what you want? Boy? To have Lillian come back to find your lifeless corpse and a note from me saying that she's welcome to come get you if she can find her way? You and I both know she would try."  
Teldryn glared at him. 

"Perhaps, for the sake of our darling Lillian," Sanguine began in a diplomatic tone before finishing darkly with, "you should show me some respect."

Sanguine stepped back and put his hands on his hips, pursing his lips and tiling his head to the side. "It's a damn shame you don't want to come back with me to the Misty Grove. We could have had so much fun," and within that, Sanguine disappeared in a swirling ball of blue and purple. 

Teldryn sighed tiredly and slumped his shoulders forwards, curling in on himself when he realized that he just got into a fight with a Daedric prince and almost died.

And to think, earlier he was worried about having to fight a dragon without Lillian.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is back in Lillian's POV.
> 
> I feel like this is as good a time as any to mention that I don't have a beta for this and I didn't exactly proofread it either. My sincerest apologies.

Lillian stood there, breathing heavily.

Everyone was dead--all the drauger, both the dragons, EVERYONE. Or, at least, everyone outside. 

She cautiously out her greatsword away and turned to look at her dremora as he jogged back to her.

"Whose a good boy? Whose a fearsome warrior?" Lillian cooed at him. "You are! Yes, you are!"

"Master, please cease and desist," her dremora said. Lillian sighed and stopped cooing at him. 

"You're no fun!" she complained, flailing at him in disgruntlement. "I summoned you here and let you kill all these people. The least you could do is let me faun over you."

"I was in the middle of supper!" her dremora countered. "In case you've ignored the fact that night has finally fallen, evening time is when people eat and prepare for sleep. With you constantly conjuring me, I barely ate a mouthful." He turned away and walked off towards the doors to the main ruin, looking decidedly miffed.

"But you had fun, at least!" Lillian called as she trotted after him, her short, Breton legs forcing her to take two steps for every one of his. "You can't deny that. I SAW your smile as you chopped that guy's head off."

"Master, I decapitated many people and smiled every time, so you'll have to be more specific in your argument," her dremora said, pausing when he realized he just proved her point. 

"See? You are such a fearsome warrior!" Lillian laughed as her dremora sighed as if he was in pain. He looked up at the sky and put his arms up.

"Just kill me now," he said dramatically. "Send me back to oblivion so that I can finally eat my supper." He shot a dirty look at Lillian who laughed at him in response. 

"Calm down, you dork," she said through her giggles. "Let's get inside and finish this goddamn adventure."

At which point, her dremora suddenly grinned and winked at her as he dissolved in a cloud of sparks and returned to Oblivion. 

"I guess I can wait a bit before summoning him again," she mused as she cautiously stepped through the front doors of Skuldafn. 

Lillian drew her greatsword and ducked down behind the fallen pieces of a colossal pillar, sweeping over the room with her eyes. There were two drauger—deathlords, naturally—on the far side of the vaulted hall. From this distance, a greatsword would be useless, unless she decided to throw it like a javelin or something. She put the sword away and drew her bow, leveling an arrow at one of the drauger and following it as it walked back and forth across the hall. When it paused momentarily, Lillian let loose her arrow and it buried itself in the deathlord. Immediately, the deathlord looked in her direction and began lumbering over to her, drawing its own weapon. 

Unfortunately, the fuckers were stronger than one arrow, so Lillian was forced to fire off three more before it started slowing. When it was close enough, she put away her bow and drew her greatsword again. She swung at it and her sword connected with its jaw, sending its head sailing into the air. She grinned as she watched it bounce to the ground and roll until finally coming to rest at the base of the pillar.

Her satisfaction was short lived, however, for the second drauger also watched the head bounce to the floor and then went after her. Lillian was able to lodge three arrows in it before having to use her sword. After she efficiently ended its un-life, she checked for any more signs of life. Luckily, there was no one else in the hall. 

Well, Lillian thought, that wasn’t so bad. I can deal with a deathlord every now and then. She snuck through the cavernous hall and into the ruin’s passageways.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn's POV

Teldryn may or may not have accidentally closed the door to Breezehome a bit too loudly. 

“Lil!” he heard Lydia shout tiredly. “I am trying to sleep! Don’t slam the door!” Teldryn winced and walked up the stairs, gently knocking on Lydia’s bedroom door.  
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I’m just a little out of it.”

Lydia rolled over and looked at him through bleary eyes, her hair askew from sleep. She did a bit of a double take before pointing to the chair next to her dresser.

“Sit down and tell me what’s wrong with you,” she said, tossing the sheets back and spinning so her legs were over the side of the bed. Teldryn walked slowly over to the chair and all but fell into it, sighing tiredly and leaning his forearms on his knees.

“Lillian decided to go fight Alduin,” Teldryn murmured.

“I know,” Lydia said. “Its all everyone’s been talking about all day. Why does it matter?”

Teldryn looked at her incredulously. “Are you telling me that you’re not worried about her?” he asked.

“Of course not. She can take care of herself. Why? Are you?”

“What? Of course not!” Teldryn said defensively. “Like you said—she can take care of herself. She’ll be fine.” Teldryn looked down at his shoes and his mind dredged up just exactly how not-fine she could be. He felt eyes on him and glanced back up a Lydia.

She couldn’t have looked more unimpressed. 

“What?” Teldryn asked, trying to get her to stop looking at him like that. 

“This is literally your problem,” Lydia told him firmly. “Everyone else—literally everyone else—thinks that she’ll be fine. You’re stressing over nothing. She is the actual strongest, bravest, most cunning person in all of Skyrim. She could probably assassinate the Emperor of Tamriel and get away with it.”

Teldryn gave her a small grin and Lydia sighed tiredly, dropping her head into her hands. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Lydia asked rhetorically. “Of course she killed the emperor. Anyway, I’m not going to say that you’re worrying is wrong and misplaced, because it’s completely natural to worry about the safety of a friend, but I will say that you’re stressing too much. Lillian is almost impossible to kill—believe me, I’ve though up plenty of ways to do it. Trust in her abilities.”

“I do trust in her abilities. I trust that she’ll try and fight her way out of situations and I trust that she’ll make the right decisions and know when to attack and when to defend,” Teldryn said, an edge of panic sneaking into his determined speech. “What I don’t trust is the inescapable flaws of her physiology. She can’t heal nearly as well in the sunlight since she’s a vampire and simply being out during the day is draining for her. And she flew off on Odaviing’s back during the day. With dragon speed, that would land her in Skuldafn while the sun was still out. And I just know that the ruins are crawling with enemies. And she and I have come to rely on each other so much; I don’t know how she’ll do on her own. I know I would probably die, and, though she’s infinitely better in a fight than I am, even she has her limits. Especially in the daytime.

“And what about her weapons and armor? She just made that stuff. I don’t trust it to protect and defend her well enough. What if her battleaxe breaks? What if a drauger cracks her armor? She could easily die if she gets too wounded in direct sunlight with no escape to the shade.”

Teldryn was almost hyperventilating now. There were so many ways that she could die and he didn’t want to think about any of them, but his brain just kept coming up with new, more gruesome ways she could die. His heart was racing and he couldn’t slow it down. Lydia was still looking at him, unimpressed. 

“Teldryn, you literally just worked yourself into an almost panic-attack,” Lydia said like Teldryn was the biggest idiot to ever exist in Tamriel. “Go lay down, get some sleep, and then you can go sit on the porch again.” With that, Lydia threw herself back in bed and pulled the sheets up around her.

Teldryn stood up from the chair rather shakily and walked out of Lydia’s room, trying to recover from accidentally traumatizing himself with his brain. He wandered into Lillian’s main bedroom and fell unceremoniously onto the bed. 

He would probably have to take off his armor in order to sleep, but just the thought of moving made him more tired, so he succumbed to the temptation and let unconsciousness take him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lillian's POV

Of course she had to fight a dragon priest. Life would have been much too simple if she didn’t. 

Lillian thanked the divines that she had experience with this kind of thing as she snuck past the two dragons and across the large courtyard. The first dragon priest she had killed was Vokun and it was purely by accident. She had been walking around the salt marshes east of Solitude when she had found a Nordic ruin covered in snow. Curious, she had gone inside and found Anska, some random adventurer after a magical scroll. No knowing what she was getting into, Lillian followed Anska through the ruin until finding herself in the main burial chamber with an angry dragon priest attacking her. Naturally, she dispatched him and took his heavy iron mask. 

Since then, Lillian had killed Volsung, Morokei, and Krosis, along with Ahzidal, Zahkriisos, Vahlok, and Miraak from Solstheim, and she had liberated all of them of their masks, save for Vahlok, who didn’t have a mask. After the first few, fighting them became quite a bit easier because they all had the same weakness: if you stagger them, they can’t shoot you. 

The dragon priest Lillian had to fight now was Nahkriin and he currently had his back turned. If she could sneak up behind him, she could stagger him before he shot at her or drew any weapons. 

Crouching down, she stepped as quietly as possible until she was directly behind him and slowly drew her greatsword. She raised the sword above her head and brought it down onto the junction between Nahkriin’s neck and shoulder. Nahkriin screeched and tried to pull away but the sword was stuck, so Lillian started wiggling the sword to pull it out. 

For a guy who’s been dead for thousands of years, Lillian thought, he sure has a lot of blood. Lillian’s armor was now a bright crimson and she gave her sword one last yank, dislodging it from Nahkriin’s body. Before he could move away, Lillian plunged her sword through his chest and he fell to the ground, taking her sword with him.

Lillian placed her foot on Nahkriin’s chest and pulled her sword out of him, using his robes to wipe it clean before putting it back in its scabbard. She reached down and took his mask, gazing at the dark iron as it hummed with power. She retrieved his staff and walked up to the top of the podium, spying a small hole in the ground. Taking a deep breath, she slid the staff into the hole and the circular courtyard in front of her opened up into a swirling hole of white light.

The portal to Sovngarde.

Lillian checked to see that all of her armor and weaponry was secured to her body and stepped off the podium into the swirling light.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn's POV

Teldryn didn’t sleep very well. He had strange dreams, almost nightmares, involving a woman with a very soft voice. She had tried to talk to him but he didn’t trust her and the scenery kept changing, so he opted for killing her rather than talking. This led to his dream self being knocked unconscious multiple times by the woman, who would always warn him that “the miasma will take effect soon” and that the more he resisted, the longer it would take for the miasma to wear off. 

It wasn’t until some guy with an outfit that was half purple and half orange—like, split exactly down the center and one side was purple and the other orange—came and told her to leave that Teldryn realized he had just met Vaermina and Sheogorath. Sheogorath had shaken Teldryn’s dream self’s hand and told him that Lillian would be back…eventually.

Thus, Teldryn woke up even more tired than before, completely drained, and hung-over from the night before with Sanguine. 

Daedric royalty and their neediness, Teldryn thought angrily. He should start keeping a list of the daedra he meets so that when Lillian comes back, she can know just how many of her friends in high places bothered him.

Teldryn rolled out of the bed and onto the floor, not wanting to use his legs. Lydia probably heard the thump of the impact, because a moment later he heard her footsteps walking slowly to the bedroom. They stopped, probably at the door, and then Teldryn heard the creak of the doorframe as Lydia leaned against it.

“Wow,” Lydia drawled out. “How much did you have to drink last night? You look awful.”

“And good morning to you, too,” Teldryn said, voice still rough from sleep. “If you really want to know, I went drinking with this man named Sam Guinevere and had five pints of some special brew that he made.” Lydia looked at him incredulously before bursting into laughter.

“Wait,” she said through her giggles. “Are you telling me that you got into a drinking contest with Sanguine, Daedric Prince of Drinking and patron deity to all drunks and bums everywhere?” Teldryn gave her a sour look, which just brought on more laughter.

“For your information, it wasn’t a contest,” Teldryn defended haughtily. “He simply managed to coax me out of Dragonsreach and down to the Bannered Mare, where he supplied me with drinks until everyone else left.”

“Don’t tell me you bitched to him about Lillian,” Lydia said, tears threatening to fall from laughing so hard. When Teldryn didn’t answer, Lydia doubled over and had to leave the room. Teldryn rolled over and tried to stand up but was forced to use the bed and the side table to stay standing, so he thanked the divines that Lydia had left. 

He staggered down the stairs and into the kitchen here he sat down and ate breakfast and dank lots of water. 

“Lydia?” Teldryn called to the house at large.

“WHAT” he heard as a response.

“What time is it?” he called back.

“10:15, you idiot!” Lydia yelled.

“Thank you,” Teldryn said in a lower volume. He finished his food and stood, checking himself to make sure he was still wearing his armor. When he was satisfied that he was ready to go outside and interact with people, he made his way back to Dragonsreach, passing people as they walked around town and earning a rather angry look from Hulda. It took him an embarrassingly long time to remember that he and Sanguine had broken her bar the previous night. 

When he walked back into Dragonsreach, the jarl had just sat down from brunch and waved Teldryn over to him.

“Teldryn, I’m glad to see that you hopefully got some rest last night,” Balgruf told him. “Please, won’t you join us for brunch?”

“I’m sorry, my jarl, but I will have to decline,” Teldryn said, bowing briefly before walking up the stairs to the second story. 

He walked out onto the Great Porch and strode to the balcony, placing his hands on the railing and gazing out at the sky. There was no one else on the balcony, no guards, not even the Jarl’s steward who was literally always out on the balcony. Teldryn sighed in frustration. 

It’s like they don’t even care whether she come back or not, Teldryn thought angrily. He pushed off the wall and walked over to the middle of the floor where he folded himself back into a sitting position, legs crossed under him. He leaned his elbow on his knees and dropped his chin in his hands.

He lost track of time after that. He heard the door open and close as people meandered out on to the porch, but Teldryn had a feeling that they were only out there to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid or rash. The hours ticked by and the sky changed colors before him, but he did not see, far too lost in thought and too caught up in waiting.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lillian's POV

“Jurgen…Windcaller?” Lillian asked the man in Greybeard’s robes in front of her.

“The very same!” he replied grandly. Lillian had to try very hard not to squeal with joy. Sovngarde was the best. 

After she went through the portal, she had landed in a beautiful land full of rolling hill and wildflowers. Everything appeared normal as she walked down the path until a man in Stormcloak garb came running up to her warning her that the mist was dangerous and that she should enter at her own risk. Somewhat perturbed, Lillian had cautiously shouted away the mist and seen Alduin fly away.

Then, she had seen Ulfric Stormcloak waiting as the base of a hill. She tried to talk to him, but apparently you can hold a grudge in the afterlife. 

When she finally made it to the Hall of Valor, she was forced to fight Tsun, a bear of a man who insisted in walking around shirtless. She beat him easily and he let her into the hall, where she had stumbled upon a table full of interesting people.

“Oh my gods, I’m your number one fan!” Lillian told Jurgen Windcaller, reaching forward and shaking his hand vigorously. “When I found out I was dragonborn, I went to the greybeards and they taught me some shouts and had me retrieve your horn from Ustengrav.”

“Did you now?” Jurgen replied, a small smile on his face. “How is Arngeir, by the way? And Parthurnaax?” 

“Oh! They’re swell!” Lillian said but couldn’t elaborate because the three heroes were calling her over. “It was nice meeting you!” she called as she ran off to join them.

She was all but vibrating with excitement. Finally. Alduin was as good as dead. Odaviing’s words came back to her now, and she knew that no matter what happened, Alduin would not survive the day. Even if she died, he wouldn’t win. After all, nothing can beat four people with the ability to shout. 

But…if she did die, she’d never see anyone from Skyrim again. None of the jarls, none of her housecarls, none of the random people she’d befriended across Skyrim. All of them would be gone from her forever. 

But that was a risk she had to take. Alduin had to die; his death was top priority. Her demise or survival was next. 

“Dragonborn, what say you on this glorious day?” one of the three heroes said. 

Lillian drew her greatsword. “I say let’s kill ourselves the World Eater.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn's POV

Teldryn sighed deeply and closed his eyes as the two women in front of him started crying. Why did they all have to bother him? Why couldn’t the Daedric deities leave him alone?

“She was my favorite champion!” Azura wailed, her dark brown curls falling across her face as she dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t even care that she took the star back to Nelecar instead of my priestess! She used it how I wanted it to be used and now she’s gone!” 

“Now, now, Azura,” Meridia soothed through her own tears. Her deep blue eyes were watery and she tucked her almost white-blonde hair behind her ear. “She’d not dead yet. She’s just in Sovngarde. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Who cares if—“ Meridia sniffled “—if—if she didn’t bring my artifact with her? She can handle herself, my little champion. She can spread my divine light simply by ridding the world of the undead.” Tears were streaming down Meridia’s face as she leaned across and wrapped an arm around Azura. 

Teldryn couldn’t take much more of this. First Sanguine, then Vaermina, then Sheogorath, and now Azura and Vaermina. There were only so many daedra left. 

“Listen, my ladies,” Teldryn began. “I know it’s hard to think about our Lillian risking her life, but she does this all the time. We wouldn’t have so much faith in her if we didn’t think she could succeed. There’s not a single thing she can’t defeat, and knowing that you two support her is enough to make her persevere through any obstacle.”

“Do you really think that, Dunmer?” Azura asked shakily, pushing her hair back over her shoulder and leaning into Meridia’s side.

“I know that,” Teldryn said with conviction. “Now, why don’t you to go back to your planes of Oblivion and keep watch over her. As much as I love your company, mortals like me cannot bask in your divinity for too long without irreparable damage.” Teldryn hoped that flattery would get them to leave him alone.

“You’re right,” Azura said, wiping her cheeks. “We shouldn’t bother you about stuff you have no control over.”

“You know who we should go talk to?” Meridia said as she stood and extended a hand to Azura. “Akatosh.”

“Oo! Yeah, we should. If anyone can protect our Lillian, it’s Akatosh,” Azura said excitedly, her dark brown curls jostling and she bounced on the balls of her feet. Azura held a hand out to Teldryn. “You wanna come with? Nothing like antagonizing a divine to really get your blood pumping.” Her deep red eyes genuinely frightened Teldryn, but he kept his composure as he politely declined. The two women shrugged and disappeared into clouds of swirling purple and blue light.

Teldryn sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Dealing with anymore Daedric princes or princesses would seriously threaten—

“Well, aren’t they just little emotional balls of cosmic power?” a woman’s voice came from behind him. Teldryn would bet his entire life’s earning that the woman was another daedra. Slowly looking behind him, Teldryn saw a woman with jet-black hair who was wearing tight black trousers and a tight, revealing black blouse. 

“If you’ll pardon my disrespect, you’re the sixth one since she left,” Teldryn said tiredly. 

“Sixth what?” the woman purred and her eyes met Teldryn’s. They were a rich violet color and deeper than the largest ocean. 

“Sixth Daedric deity,” Teldryn said, realizing who exactly she was, “Nocturnal.” 

“Good afternoon, Teldryn Sero,” Nocturnal returned. “So, you’ve already had to deal with five of us? Do you mind my asking who?”

Teldryn was immediately nervous but figured that refusing a goddesses’ request was suicide. “Sanguine, Vaermina, Sheogorath, Azura, and Meridia, in that order,” he told her.

“Wow, you must be drained, then,” Nocturnal said, moving towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder as she sat down next to him. “Dealing with that many gods and goddesses would kill any lesser man, but you’ve been running with our lovely Lillian, and her lifestyle has hardened you.” She draped her arm around his shoulders and he suddenly felt really cold. Teldryn closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

“Nocturnal? Can I have my armor back please?” Teldryn asked. He heard her quietly swear next to him and she handed back the armor she stole from off of his body. “Do I need to tell you to leave me alone, too?” 

Nocturnal laughed and stood up, patting his head like he was a small child. Teldryn threw his hands up to make sure his helmet was still on his head and was relieved to find that it was.

“Come find me when Lillian comes back,” Nocturnal said and disappeared into the usual ball of light.

Teldryn turned back to his original sitting position and leaned his chin on his hands again. All of these Daedric deities were really trying his patience. All he wanted right now was Lillian to be safe and home and…and…with him. Teldryn honestly couldn’t imagine a world where the two of them weren’t fighting and adventuring together. And what frustrated him the most was that the daedra weren’t helping Lillian survive—they were annoying him and bitching about how Lillian needs help or she’s going to die.

If Teldryn had to deal with one more Daedric prince or princess, he would probably end up physically assaulting them. Which would probably end in his death. 

But…death wouldn’t be too bad. He could probably negotiate with the divines to meet up with Lillian somewhere in Sovngarde. After all, he’d already dealt with six Daedric royals; a few of the divines couldn’t be too hard.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lillian's POV

Tsun had told Lillian that she could explore the rest of Sovngarde if she wanted, so she ran around in the fields for a bit before flopping down onto her back on top of a hill. She gazed up at the sky and marveled at how beautiful it was—a swirling circle of white-yellow light with wisps of pink, like the clouds before sunset, ever expanding. Surrounding that was a layer that blended from blue to reddish orange to green and then back to blue in a ring. Finally, just above the horizon was a layer of sparse puffs of clouds that looked like horse drawn wagon tracks across sand. 

The ghost of Teldryn’s voice sounded in Lillian’s head, making a snarky comment about how she described the sky. It made her heart clench to think about him and she suddenly leapt up from the ground. She set out at a dead sprint back to the Hall of Valor and vaulted over rocks and bushes. When she arrived back at the beginning of the skeletal bridge, she saw Tsun talking to Ulfric.

“Tsun!” she called, not caring that she quite obviously interrupted their conversation. Ulfric looked miffed and Tsun rolled his eyes, gently shoving him towards the bridge. The look of honest surprise on Ulfric’s face broke something within Lillian and she felt a wave of guilt wash through her body. 

She stopped in front of Tsun and placed a hand on his arm as they both watched Ulfric navigate across the bridge and through the doors to the hall. 

“That was nice of you,” Lillian told him. 

“He said he knew you and I trusted that,” Tsun said, glancing sideways at her. “Did he actually know you?”

“Yeah,” Lillian said. “I killed him a little while ago.” Tsun looked at her in alarm and she laughed. “He’s a brave warrior and deserves to be in the Hall of Valor. You did the right thing, letting him in.”

Tsun looked relieved and relaxed next to her, folding his arms across his chest and turning towards her. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Are you ready to return to Tamriel?”

Lillian nodded and was surprised when Tsun enveloped her in a hug. She returned the hug after a moment and squeezed as hard as she could.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Dragonborn,” Tsun said. “I hope to see you again, in the future. Just…not too soon.”

He placed his palm over her forehead and suddenly, the world went dark.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn's POV

After Teldryn had put his armor back on, he cautiously attempted to resume sitting and waiting. There was no telling if or when another Daedric prince would come to talk to him again.

Teldryn rolled his eyes as he heard the door open behind him and childlike footsteps echo throughout the porch. I wonder who that could be, Teldryn thought sarcastically. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and heard a whisper of “You’ll never guess what I found out!”

Teldryn turned towards the child and saw a young girl, around seven or eight years old, with curly brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. They looked almost familiar, but Teldryn couldn’t place where he’d seen them before.

“Yes,” came a drawling voice from behind her and Teldryn glanced over to see a boy, still young but perhaps two or three years older than the girl, with the same curly brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. “You found out that information from me, though, so shouldn’t I be the one to tell him?” Teldryn’s eyes widened as he realized.

“Hermaeus Mora?” Teldryn said in quiet disbelief. “I haven’t seen you since Solstheim, when Lillian was trying to kill Miraak.”

“Yes…” Mora said sounding bored. “Though, back then, I chose to appear as how I actually wanted—a grotesque mass of tentacles. Today, however, I was dragged here by my sister who insisted that we match.”

“Well, your lordship,” Teldryn began, “I don’t know about you, but if I were a Whiterun guard and I saw a ball of tentacles and eyeballs descend from the sky, I wouldn’t think twice about attacking it.” Hermaeus Mora looked taken aback. “So, considering that I don’t want the population of Whiterun decimated by a Daedric prince because one guard couldn’t keep himself from attacking, I’m glad your sister changed your appearance.”

The girl giggled and said, “See Herma? Aren’t you glad you came with me?” She turned back to Teldryn and curtsied as she said, “Mephala--Daedric prince of secret plots, manipulation, and discord.”

Teldryn bowed his head with a small smile and saw Hermaeus Mora sigh apathetically at her. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, my lady,” Teldryn said. 

“Enough with the pleasantries,” Mephala said sweetly. “We came to tell you about our dear champion.”

Teldryn snapped his head up and earned another excited giggle from Mephala. Before he could ask, she continued.

“Lillian has beaten Alduin,” Mephala said grinning. Teldryn released a breath he didn’t know he was holding and sagged with relief. 

“Dearest sister, that was entirely too misleading,” Hermaeus Mora said disinterestedly. “She would have beaten him regardless of whether she died or not. Don’t get his hopes up through misdirection and misinformation.”

“Wait,” Teldryn stopped them by waving his hand. “She defeated Alduin but she died trying? Why would you come all this way to tell me this? Why would you do this to me?” Teldryn balled his fists and curled in on himself, upset at life in general. Fucking Daedric princes and their misconceived notions of helpfulness. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, boy,” Mephala said. “She’s quite alive. And heading back here as we speak.”

“What,” Teldryn said, disbelieving. Mephala rolled her eyes and walked off towards the balcony, leaving Teldryn with Hermaeus Mora.

“She is on her way back from Sovngarde,” Mora said. “I suggest you wait here instead of trying to meet her somewhere.”

With that, Hermaeus Mora joined his sister at the Great Porch balcony and they both disappeared in a cloud of blue and purple light. 

Lillian was alive.

She was alive and on her way back to Dragonsreach.

Teldryn found he couldn’t breathe.

He tried to sit up straight and focus on his breathing over anything else. Seven counts in and thirteen counts out. With each breath, Teldryn focused less and less on what was going on around him and more on what was going on in his head, his single minded focus primarily on remaining breathing. 

Lillian was alive and coming back to Whiterun. But…could he trust those two Daedric deities to tell him the truth? Mephala was the patron god of lies, after all, and Hermaeus Mora was the patron god of knowledge, so both of them had the potential to be lying to him. 

While Teldryn agonized over how everything could go wrong, he missed the sound of the door flying open.

“TELDRYN!” an excited voice yelled and Teldryn was tackled until he was flat on his back. Lillian gazed down at him, her blonde hair flopping in front of her face and her vampiric eyes glowing an almost gold color. Teldryn’s heart clenched as she beamed at him and he brought his arms up around her, pulling her down into his embrace.

“Lillian,” he said softly, sitting up and squeezing as hard as he could. She hugged him back with what felt like all of her strength and didn’t let go for what seemed like ages. Teldryn didn’t let go either.

“You would not believe the things I did over these past few days,” Lillian said when she finally leaned back. She was sprawled across his lap in an ungainly heap with Teldryn’s arms around her, holding her up. “Speaking of which,” she continued, furrowing her eyebrows, “have you been sitting here the whole time? It’s been two days!”

Teldryn shrugged, replying with, “I wasn’t here the whole time. Your Daedric friends bothered me and distracted me enough to get me out of the keep.”

“My Daedric friends?” Lillian asked, perplexed. “Do you mean the princes?”

“Yep,” Teldryn said bitterly. “Eight Daedric princes.”

“Oo! Who did you talk to?” Lillian asked excitedly. “Wait. Why did they bother you?”

“They all wanted to talk about you,” Teldryn explained. “The first was Sanguine, who got me drunk. Then Vaermina bothered me in my dreams that night until Sheogorath shooed her away and reassured me that you were still alive. Then, Meridia and Azura sat by me when I returned here to the Great Porch and, after they left, Nocturnal came and stole my armor.” Lillian’s eyes got wider and wider as he explained and Teldryn smirked at her. “Finally, Mephala and Hermaeus Mora came literally five minutes ago and told me that you’d beaten Alduin.”

Lillian looked awestruck. 

“What?” Teldryn asked with mock innocence.

“Surprisingly,” Lillian said, “you were in more danger than I was.”

“What? No, that’s nonsense,” Teldryn argued. “You probably had to fight drauger deathlords and dragon priests and fucking Alduin. Talking with a few emotionally unstable deities is easy in comparison.”

“You’re so lucky you’re smart,” Lillian said, shaking her head and grinning at him. “Anyone else would have been killed—gruesomely.”

“This is why it’s useful to have brains and beauty,” Teldryn said.

“Yes, but I’ve never seen your face,” Lillian countered. “You could have no eyes or nose or mouth and I wouldn’t know.”

Teldryn gasped melodramatically and laughed. “I’ll have you know that I do have a mouth and a nose and two eyes, thank you very much. And I’ll prove it because you’ve just come back from killing the World Eater.” Teldryn unwound his arms from around Lillian and raised his hands to his head. Lillian gasped as he pulled his helmet off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking it out this long and reading the whole thing! I love you already. If you want another chapter, leave a comment and I'll see if I can write one good enough to end this adventure.


End file.
